The plans for this year’s Destination Jersey event have been announced, with plenty of opportunities for local hospitality businesses to showcase the island’s offering to visiting tour operators from across Europe. The Jersey Hospitality Association (JHA) is a key player at the biennial event, sponsoring the Trade Dinner. CEO Simon Soar explains why the event is so important for the industry.
‘Destination Jersey is a great opportunity for our members and we really encourage them to take part in the event. It offers the opportunity to meet visiting tour operators from all over Europe and form relationships with them. Those visiting the island are looking to spend time with suppliers of accommodation and activities so that they can promote Jersey elsewhere.
‘The event allows the visiting tour operators to fully appreciate what is available on the island, and also gives local businesses the chance to understand where demand lies and adapt their product or create a new offering to suit what is needed. Those face to face conversations are crucial for building and improving relationships.
‘Destination Jersey can really give businesses the chance to sell the island and the breadth of what we have to offer here. Often people elsewhere don’t realise how much is available in Jersey so this is a great opportunity to sell that and link up the right tour operators with the suppliers they should be speaking to. Whether it’s walking tour providers meeting those who organise walking holidays, or the family friendly hotels making connections with those selling family packages, local companies can promote themselves in a really targeted way.
‘The JHA is again hosting a dinner at La Mare Vineyard as part of Destination Jersey, which we are delighted to do. This event only happens every two years so we want to ensure that our members can capitalise on the opportunity. The dinner is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the success of the event and is a real opportunity for local businesses to network and build on the connections they have made.
‘It looks as though the number of tour operators taking part has increased this year, which is great to see and will no doubt help to encourage further increases in visitor numbers.’
Destination Jersey takes place between Monday 20 and Wednesday 22 April with a welcome dinner on the Monday evening at Jersey Pearl, the trade workshop on Tuesday 21 April and the trade dinner at La Mare Vineyard that evening, before ending with island familiarisation trips on the Wednesday. The 2018 event saw the island welcome 54 tour operators and online travel agents to meet 82 local suppliers ranging from hoteliers to attractions and activity providers, and it is hoped the 2020 event will be even more successful.
Any local members of the JHA who wish to attend the gala dinner can contact Simon for tickets via the JHA website at www.jerseyhospitality.com
